Hina
Sina, Ina
Polynesian Living tradition
These are living traditions, honored by Native Hawaiians, Māori and other Pacific peoples.
Polynesian goddess, honored across the Pacific, who in Hawaiian tradition lives in the moon.
Hina appears in stories across Polynesia in many forms. In one Hawaiian tradition, tired of endless work, she climbed a rainbow to the moon, where she can still be seen beating tapa cloth. She is often linked to the hero Māui as his mother or sister.
Symbols
In the ancient sources
Polynesian traditions written down from the 19th century
- Hina-i-ka-malama
- “Hina in the moon” Hawaiian tradition
- Westervelt, Legends of Maui (1910): 'Hina, the Woman in the Moon' Hina climbs her rainbow toward the sun but finds it too hot; she climbs to the moon instead, and her husband breaks her leg trying to hold her back. Hawaiians see her there with her calabash.
- Westervelt, Legends of Maui: 'Hina and the Wailuku River' Hina lives in a cave behind Rainbow Falls in Hilo, and her son Māui saves her from the monster Kuna, who floods it.
- Cook Islands tradition (Gill, 1876) Ina loves the eel Tuna; when he is killed, she buries his head as he told her, and the first coconut tree grows from it.
Hina is honored across Polynesia with many different stories; in Tahiti the dark patches on the moon are said to be her banyan tree.
Cross-checked against these texts and records, in public-domain or freely available versions where they exist. Line, section and chapter numbers follow the standard editions, so a particular translation may differ slightly.
Correspondences Explore all
- Planet
- Moon
These come from the tradition itself, and practice differs between regions, lineages and houses. To go deeper, learn from the people and communities who keep this tradition.